as thank you gift for greenbadger for beeing a lifesaver for my classdecoration

Received with two other Rebecca West books.

Thank you very much! This is very very kind of you! I have had these on my wishlist for ages and was thinking they were likely to stay there for a long time. :)

This is acknowledged as Rebecca West's masterpiece but I didn't like it quite as much as some of her other books I've read - it's very well written but possibly because it's semi-autobiographical is rather lacking a definite plot. That said, the narrator Rose is absolutely captivating as she tells about life with her musical but rather odd mother, her distant and difficult father who is hopeless with money, her closest sister Mary, her delightful younger brother and not forgetting her awful older sister Cordelia with her terrible violin playing. Then of course there are all the other strange characters who come in and out of the family's lives, to be adopted or helped. I found myself totally wrapped up in the scenes described, from the imaginary animals, the financial struggles, the moments of sheer comedy (such as the typewriter sought in exchange for swimming lessons) and there are many excellent descriptions that I wanted to read out loud and delight in.
One can't help but feel sorry for Cordelia who seems to be nobody's favourite - unbelievable that the author dedicated the book to her older sister who is so represented!

Sent to daisy_may as a wishlist RABCK. Enjoy!

Arrived safely, thanks for sending! I hope to get around to reading it soon.